Category Archives: Space Station

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This photo from NASA shows the International Space Station as it streaks across the night sky. The station is visible as often as once or twice a week or as rarely as once or twice a month, depending on the Earths rotation and on sky clarity.

Greenvilles stargazers may be able to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station from their own backyards tonight if they look up at the right time.

If the weather cooperates, the station maybe visible at 9:27 p.m. above Greenville and the surrounding areas. The station, which is the third brightest object in the sky, will move across the northwest sky and pass out of sight at 9:30 p.m., according to NASA.

You dont need a telescope or pair of binoculars to see the station. Its usually visible to the naked eye, said Thomas Riddle, assistant director of Roper Mountain Science Center. Its definitely brighter than an airplane.

Amber Porter, a lecturer in Clemson Universitys Department of Astronomy and Physics, said the Upstates stargazers may have to look a little harder than usual to see the station.The best sightings happen when the station is high enough in the sky about 40 degrees or more, said Porter.The station will be flying at 11 degrees on Friday night.

The orbiting laboratory, which travels 17,000 mph, typically looks like a small bright star during a flyover. In fact, it only takes about 90 minutes for the station to make a complete trip around the Earth, according to Riddle.

The astronauts who are working and living on the station experience 16 sunrises and sunsets each day. The space station currently houses Expedition 52, which includes three NASA astronauts.The crew, set toreturn in September, plans to perform experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science, Earth science, and more.

According to Porter, the space station is visible as often as once or twice a week or as rarely as once or twice a month, depending on the Earths rotation and on sky clarity.

NASAs Spot the Station website lets people sign up for email or text-message alerts that let them know, a few hours before, when the space station will be visible from their own city, how long it should be visible, and at what point in the sky.

This service will only notify you of good sighting opportunities, says NASA.

For more information, visit spotthestation.nasa.gov.

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International Space Station flies over Greenville tonight - Greenville Journal

From Trussville Tribune staff reports

PINSON According to a press release by Pinson Valley High, the school has been selected by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) to make contact with astronauts the International Space Station (ISS) 2018.

Pinson Valley High School. submitted photo

The school submitted a proposal that is part of a process will move into a second phase before making contact. The proposal was spearheaded by Jennifer Moore, who is an English teacher at Pinson Valley.

The school was one of 13 educational organizations to move into this phase, the press release stated.

Now an equipment plan will be submitted to ARISS for it to review. When its accepted, the schools availability must match radio contact opportunities that NASA can offer between January and June of 2018. During this time ISS will be orbiting approximately 250 miles above Earth.

The ARISS program provides a unique opportunity to expose our students to a multitude of STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)careers, many of which our students can pursue at nearby colleges such as UAB, Moore said. It will help us reach our goal of graduating college and career-ready young adults.

Pinson Valley will have several partners to help with the next phase, which will be the Southern Museum of Flight, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and the Birmingham Amateur Radio Clubs Amateur Radio Advancement Group.

Link:
Pinson Valley selected for radio contact with International Space Station - Trussvilletribune

Credit: NASA TV

A Russian Progress supply ship sailed to an automated docking Friday with the International Space Station two days after departing the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, delivering approximately three tons of fuel, spare parts and water to the orbiting outpost and its three-person crew.

Docking of the Progress MS-06 cargo craft to the stations Zvezda service module occurred 1137 GMT (7:37 a.m. EDT) after a radar-guided autopilot approach as the vehicles soared 258 miles (415 kilometers) over the Philippine Sea.

Thank you very much for a reliable vehicle, radioed Fyodor Yurchikhin, commander of the stations Expedition 52 crew.

I would say it was more than a gentle touch, more than anything else, Yurchikhin said of the docking.The cargo vehicle is now in a gentle but very firm embrace with the station now.

Hooks closed to create a firm attachment between the space station and the newly-arrived Progress cargo craft, which is set to stay at the research complex until mid-December, when it will detach and head for a destructive re-entry with a load of trash over the South Pacific Ocean.

Yurchikhin will open hatches leading to the Progress spacecraft later Friday.

The stations crew will unpack equipment inside the Progress MS-06 cargo capsules pressurized cabin in the coming weeks, and automated connections will route propellant from the Progress fuel tanks into reservoirs on the Zvezda service module.

The Progress MS-06 supply ship lifted off Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz-2.1a launcher, reaching orbit less than nine minutes after blastoff. The Progress began a series of thruster firings to guide its two-day journey to the space station, culminating in Fridays final approach.

The Progress MS-06 spaceship carries around 6,039 pounds (2.7 metric tons) of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station, according to NASA.

The supplies include 3,069 pounds (1,392 kilograms) of dry cargo inside the ships pressurized compartment, 1,940 pounds (880 kilograms) of fuel to refill the stations propulsion system, 926 pounds (420 kilograms) of potable water, and 104 pounds (47 kilograms) of high-pressure oxygen and air to replenish the research labs breathable atmosphere, a NASA spokesperson said.

Four small satellites launched inside the Progress MS-06 spacecrafts cabin for release by cosmonauts on a spacewalk later this year.

Email the author.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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Progress cargo freighter docks with International Space Station - Spaceflight Now

The Hindu

Where no loaf has gone before The Hindu However, German startup Bake In Space is now determined to take the sandwich back into orbit. And they've given themselves an ambitious deadline: Alexander Gerst's mission to the International Space Station in May 2018. He's a German astronautand ... Bake in Space aims to develop crumb-free bread for astronautsHerald Sun all 3 news articles »

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Where no loaf has gone before - The Hindu

Enlarge / SpaceX launches a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office on May 1.

About six weeks ago, SpaceX launched a spy satellite into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. As is normal forNational Reconnaissance Office launches, not much information was divulged about the satellite's final orbit or its specific purpose in space. However, a dedicated group of ground-based observers continued to track the satellite after it reached outer space.

Then something curious happened. In early June,the satellite made an extremely close pass to the International Space Station. One of the amateur satellite watchers, Ted Molczan,estimated the pass on June 3 to be 4.4km directly above the station. Another, Marco Langbroek, pegged the distance at 6.4km. "I am inclined to believe that the close conjunctions between USA 276 and ISS are intentional, but this remains unproven and far from certain," Molczan later wrote.

In recent days, Ars has run these observations by several officials and informed sources. They are credible, these officials say, and curious indeed. "This is strange," said one astronaut who hascommanded the International Space Station. "I don't really believe in coincidences. But I can't really think of anything that would be worth highlighting a close approach."

One expert in satellite launches and tracking, Jonathan McDowell, said of the satellite's close approach to the station, "It is not normal." While it remains possiblethat the near-miss was a coincidence due to the satellite being launched into similar orbit, that would represent "gross incompetence" on the part of the National Reconnaissance Office, he said. Like the astronaut, McDowell downplayed the likelihood of a coincidence.

Another option is that of a deliberate close flyby, perhaps to test or calibrate an onboard sensor to observe something or some kind of activity on the International Space Station. "The deliberate explanation seems more likely, except that I would have expected the satellite to maneuver after the encounter," McDowell said. "But it seems to have stayed in the same orbit."

Another question, if the maneuver was deliberate, is whether the US government informed Russia or other international partners on the space station. The Russian segment of the station controls the thrusters that generally are used to maneuver the station away from orbital debris, so such coordination might seem prudent.

In regard to these questions, so far the US government has declined to provide answers. A NASA spokesman offered to look into the matter on Monday but as of Wednesday afternoon had nothing to say. A query sent to public affairs at theNational Reconnaissance Office went unanswered. We will update this story if we receive any official responses.

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A spy satellite buzzed the space station this month, and no one knows why - Ars Technica

An uncrewed Russian cargo ship launched toward the International Space Station today (June 14), kicking off a two-day trip to deliver tons of fresh food and other supplies.

The automated Progress 67 spacecraft launched into orbit atop a Russian Soyuz rocket at 5:20 a.m. EDT (0920 GMT). The mission lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where the local time was 3:20 p.m., NASA officials said.

The Progress spacecraft is carrying nearly 3 tons of fresh food, fuel and other vital supplies for the space station's Expedition 52 crew. It will arrive at the space station on Friday (June 16) at 7:42 a.m. EDT (1142 GMT), NASA officials said. [The Space Station's Robotic Cargo Ship Fleet (Photo Guide)]

"Less than 10 minutes after launch, the resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned," NASA officials wrote in a mission update. "The Russian cargo craft will make 34 orbits of Earth during the next two days before docking to the orbiting laboratory at 7:42 a.m. Friday, June 16."

The Progress 67 launch comes on the heels of a two other cargo ship events at the space station. On Sunday (June 11), an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship burned up in Earth's atmosphere to end its own recent resupply mission for NASA. On June 5, a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the station two days after launching into orbit. Dragon will stay linked to the orbiting laboratory until July 2, when it will return to Earth to make an ocean splashdown.

An international fleet of robotic cargo ships periodically deliver supplies to the International Space Station. That fleet includes Russia's Progress spacecraft, the U.S. commercial vehicles like SpaceX's Dragon and Orbital ATK's Cygnus, as well as Japan's H-2 Transfer Vehicle.

The European Space Agency also flew five cargo missions to the station using its huge Automated Transfer Vehicles. The last European cargo ship flew in 2015.

Of all these robotic spacecraft, only SpaceX's Dragon is capable of returning cargo to Earth. The rest are disposed of by being intentionally burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Progress 67 will stay docked at the International Space Station until December, when it will depart to meet its fiery end in Earth's atmosphere.

NASA will stream live video of Progress 67's space station arrival on Friday. The webcast will begin at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) ahead of the docking. You can watch the docking live here, courtesy of NASA TV.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him@tariqjmalikandGoogle+.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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Russia Launches Robotic Cargo Ship to Space Station - Space.com

In 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin showed a TV audience back on Earth how to make a sandwich in zero gravity.

The aroma and warmth of freshly baked bread are such sensory delights.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may soon enjoy this elusive reminder of home if a new food experiment succeeds.

A German company calledBake In Space is testing both a new dough mixture for German bread rolls and an oven specially designed for the ISS and microgravity.

"We are working to produce a bread machine that will be capable of baking bread rolls and a dough mixture that will be suitable for the space environment," the Bake In Space site states.

While bread on the space station may not sound all that exciting, astronauts must worry about any food that creates crumbs or particles that can float around and damage equipment.

In fact, when astronauts on NASA's 1965 Gemini 3 mission ate a corned beef sandwich smuggled on board, crumbs of rye bread began to float around the cabin, jeopardizing the gear and potentially the astronauts themselves -- think crumbs in eyes. Bread has always been banned from the ISS, though currentlytortillas are allowed.

The baking experiment will take place next April during the European Space Agency's Horizon mission on the ISS. Ground crew will monitor live video feeds from inside the oven, so astronauts won't have to worry about their loaves while performing their regular duties.

As space tourism takes off and people spend more time in space, we need to allow bread to be made from scratch," Sebastian Marcu, CEO and founder of Bake In Space, told New Scientistlast week.

Perhaps cookies and brownies are next.

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Baking crumb-free bread on the International Space Station - CNET

New frontiers for recycling

NanoRacks

By Leah Crane

A long-dormant plan for a space station built in space from recycled parts may be getting new legs. NASA has signed an estimated $10 million contract to study the possibility of turning used rocket stages into functioning labs with support for a crew.

Before Skylab, the first US space station, went into orbit in the 1970s, Wernher von Braun proposed to separately send parts for a space station and astronauts aboard two Saturn IB rockets, which would launch within a day of one another. Launching separate payloads would be key to saving weight, given the rockets capacity limitations.

When both rockets were in orbit, astronauts would remotely vent any remaining fuel from the uncrewed rockets hydrogen tank, install life-support equipment, and move in. This would reuse a fuel tank that would otherwise be discarded.

Although von Brauns idea was eventually abandoned in favour of launching Skylab fully equipped, the cost-saving benefits of this low-Earth-orbit manoeuvre have once again become attractive.

A group of three US companies NanoRacks, United Launch Alliance and Space Systems Loral has now been contracted to examine whether building a recycled space station will work, amid a push from other private spaceflight companies for reusable rockets.

United Launch Alliance will provide the used second stages of Atlas V rockets, for which NanoRacks will prefabricate a lab and living space, with robotic outfitting from Space Systems Loral. As with the previous plan, the idea is to use two rockets, with the astronauts assembling the lab equipment in space once the fuel tank is used.

This innovative approach offers a pathway that is more affordable and involves less risk than fabricating modules on the ground and subsequently launching them into orbit, wrote NanoRacks founder and CEO Jeff Manber in a blog post. The upper stages of Atlas V rockets are currently discarded after a single use, so turning them into mini space stations could be free money in the bank.

Although the financial risks are lower, the human ones may not be. Turning spent shells into environments capable of supporting both astronauts and experiments will be a challenge, as will asking astronauts to retrofit them for life and use while in orbit. But if NanoRacks and its partners can manage this, reviving von Brauns concept could significantly lower costs for space stations, either in orbit or further into deep space.

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NASA revives 50-year-old idea to recycle space stations in orbit - New Scientist

GREENVILLE, S.C.

If you looked up at the right time Monday night, you might have been able to see the International Space Station fly over.

The space station was visible starting at 9:43 p.m. in Greenville and Asheville and the surrounding areas. Weather permitting, it was visible in the northwest sky for about three minutes.

It moved across the sky and pass out of sight at 9:47 p.m.

The space station looked like a small, bright star moving across the sky. It was traveling at more than 17,000 mph as it passes by. It only takes 90 minutes for the laboratory to make a complete circuit of Earth. Astronauts working and living on the station experience 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

The Expedition 52 crew of two NASA astronauts and one cosmonaut from Russia's space corporation, Roscosmos, is in its second week aboard the International Space Station.

To track the International Space Station, click here.

The tracker, developed by the European Space Agency, shows where the space station is right now and its path 90 minutes ago and 90 minutes ahead. Because of the Earth's rotation the space station appears to travel from west to east.

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Space station flyover visible from Greenville, Asheville Monday night - WYFF Greenville

This is what it might look like (its not finished yet) (Picture Asgardia)

Forget leaving the European Union, how about leaving Planet Earth entirely and becoming a citizen of space?

The idea might sound like something from Star Trek but people are clearly keen (and frankly, looking at how things are down here, who can blame them?)

In fact, 500,000 people tried to sign up to become citizens of the first off-world space nation Asgardia when it launched last October

The group, the brainchild of billionaire Russian computer scientist Dr Igor Ashurbeyli, now has almost 200,000 verified citizens from around 200 countries, who have each received a Certificate of Asgardia.

In September, Asgardia will send its foundation stone into orbit.

The micro-satellite, Asgardia-1, will carry personal data freely uploaded by up to 1.5 million Asgardians.

The launch, 60 years after the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was sent into orbit, will mark the first small step in a programme to establish an independent space-based country recognised by the United Nations.

Dr Ashurbeyli said: Asgardia-1 will mark the beginning of a new space era, taking our citizens into space in virtual form, at first.

Asgardia-1 will contain data stored for free for up to 1.5 million Asgardians on board the satellite. These are historic days, and your names and data will forever stay in the memory of the new space humanity, as they will be reinstalled on every new Asgardia satellite we launch.

Asgardia-1 is our first, small step which we hope will lead to a giant leap forward for mankind.

Asgardia is named after the City of the Gods in Norse mythology.

Its main aim is to develop space technology unfettered by Earthly politics and laws, leading ultimately to a permanent orbiting home where its citizens can live and work.

People can apply online to be Asgardian citizens via the website http://www.asgardia.space.

Those already recognised as citizens are now being asked to vote on key elements of the Asgardian constitution.

Asgardia-1, to be carried into orbit by a resupply ship to the International Space Station, will be roughly the size of a loaf of bread, measuring just 20cm (eight inches) long and weighing about 2.3kg (5lbs).

It will carry a solid state hard drive containing the citizen data and two particle detectors for measuring radiation levels in space.

Decisions on the Asgardia flag, insignia and national anthem are all due to be finalised this month.

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Forget Brexit, half a million people have applied to go and live on a space station - Metro